Horny — Mousse T.
Earth, Wind & Fire horns, a white-label tool for DJs and Inaya Day on the chorus: how Mousse T.’s “Horny ’98” went to No. 2 in the UK.
- By German producer Mousse T., credited as Mousse T. vs. Hot ’n’ Juicy.
- First pressed in 1997 as a limited instrumental 12-inch for DJs; the vocal “Horny ’98” followed in May 1998.
- No. 2 in the UK (17 weeks), No. 1 in Italy and on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
“Horny” started life as a gift for DJs. Mousse T. pressed an instrumental in 1997, added a chorus the following year and released it as “Horny ’98”, credited to Mousse T. vs. Hot ’n’ Juicy. It went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in Italy.
Mousse T. and Peppermint Jam
Mousse T. is Mustafa Gündoğdu, born on 2 October 1966 in Hagen, West Germany, to Turkish parents. He played keyboards in a band called Fun Key B from 1990 and began DJing in Hanover in 1994. In 1993 he founded Peppermint Jam Records with his partner Errol Rennalls, a label for uplifting house and melodic acid jazz. Early releases included “Mine” (1994, as Davey Dee & Mousse T.) and “Come and Get It” (1996), then “Bad Boy” / “Horny” in 1997.
From DJ tool to song
The working title was simply “Horny Track”. The first instrumental 12-inch came out in 1997 as a limited edition “present” for club DJs, built on trumpet samples from two 1983 Earth, Wind & Fire songs, “Something Special” and “The Speed of Love”. Mousse T. and Errol Rennalls wrote the song; Mousse T. and Reegan King produced it.
Who is Hot ’n’ Juicy?
The name on the sleeve hides a small puzzle. Hot ’n’ Juicy were first Emma Lanford and Nadine Richardson, the two women in the video and on the cover. The chorus, though, was sung by the house singer Inaya Day under the Hot ’n’ Juicy name. Nikki Belle joined the group in late 1998. Emma Lanford later sang on Mousse T.’s “Is It ’Cos I’m Cool?”, a UK No. 9 in 2004.
The chart run
Peppermint Jam and Edel released the CD in Germany on 11 May 1998; AM:PM followed in the UK on 25 May. In the UK it reached No. 2, spent 17 weeks on the chart and topped the UK Dance Singles Chart. It went to No. 1 in Italy, No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 5 in Ireland and No. 6 on the Eurochart Hot 100, but only No. 28 in Germany. Billboard’s Chuck Taylor saw a potential “novelty smash”. In the UK it is certified Platinum.
A long afterlife
The track landed on Chef Aid: The South Park Album in 1998, with a mock phone-call intro. Mousse T.’s next big hit, “Sex Bomb” with Tom Jones, reached No. 3 in the UK in 2000. In 2006 he mashed up “Horny” with the Dandy Warhols’ “Bohemian Like You” as “Horny as a Dandy”, a UK No. 17. In 2020 Tomorrowland put the original on its “Ibiza 500” list.
It belongs with the other house records that crossed over in 1998, such as “Music Sounds Better With You” by Stardust, also a UK No. 2 that year. For more German house of the period, read about “Keep Pushin’” by Boris Dlugosch.
FAQ
Who sings on Horny by Mousse T.?
Inaya Day sang the chorus under the Hot ’n’ Juicy name. Emma Lanford and Nadine Richardson, the duo’s original members, appear in the video and on the sleeve.
What does Horny sample?
The original track used trumpet samples from two 1983 Earth, Wind & Fire songs, “Something Special” and “The Speed of Love”.
How high did Horny chart?
No. 2 in the UK in 1998, where it spent 17 weeks on the chart, and No. 1 in Italy. It also topped the UK Dance Singles Chart.
